Rest in Me - April 16, 2010

Good Friday morning! Ahh, for better or worse, the tax day has passed and we can take in the weekend. Do you have problems? That's an easy question for me to answer for you; we all have problems. A neighbor's problems might seem huge or trivial in our eyes, but our opinion doesn't remove the problems. A better question might be: do your problems seem overwhelming? At times our problems may seem like a huge pile of dirt ready to fall on us. We can't see around or over the pile, and even the sun seems gone as we stand in the deep shadow of our problems. However, we can only tell it's a shadow because the sun is shining on the other side. We cannot see the future, but God does.

Over that huge pile of problems, stands a new land ready to be discovered. With the sun striking the other side of that massive pile of dirt, the green plants are bursting forth in new growth. What seems like an tremendous evil to you and I is a new opportunity for life to those plants. The pile of dirt that we see as our own problems, is actually God's time of testing for each of us. God calls us to bring that pile of problems to Him. God will lead us out of the dark shadow and up onto the mountain. No one claims the climb will be easy, but we can make the climb in the strength of Jesus.

Some days or hours, we stare at our pile o' problems and wonder how each of us can ever make it. God calls us to rest in Jesus as we start the climb upward. How can we rest and climb at the same time? I cannot explain it, but it seems to be something like what Jesus said in Samaria that one time. "I have a kind of food that you know nothing about." (John 4:32) Later Christ explains to his baffled disciples: "My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing His work." (John 4:34) It seems to me that only by resting our troubles in Jesus will we be able to climb out of the shadow.

Resting means giving the worries to Jesus. It's not easy. We look at the pile of troubles and problems, try to face the Lord and do his work, and say, "Lord, that's going to fall on me!" Trusting in the Lord includes taking that first step up the mountain. Give God what he asks for; turn over your fear and worry to Him.

Have a better day in Christ!

Bucky